Lubricated bearings and lubricating unit therefor



J E. M LEOD 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR John E.McLeod ATTORNEYS Aug. 14, 1956 LUBRICATED BEARINGS AND LUBRICATING UNIT THEREFOR Filed Feb. 4, 1953 J. E. M LEOD Aug. 14, 1956 LUBRICATED BEARINGS AND LUBRICATING UNIT THEREFOR Filed Feb. 4, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR John E.McLeod.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent C LUBRICATED BEARINGS AND LUBRICATING UNIT TEREFOR John E. McLeod, Richmond, Va. Application February 4, 1953, Serial No. 335,109

4 Claims. (Cl. 308-87) This invention relates to lubrication and particularly to lubrication of conventional journal boxes used on railway freight cars.

The device embodying the invention was developed on the basis of extensive tests, made under applicants direction on cars of the C. & 0. Railway, to determine controlling factors as to the performance of waste-packed journal boxes. The resulting devices, illustrated herein have been subjected to accelerated tests approximating twenty-two months normal service. The test cars were not in interchange and not in revenue service. They were loaded to capacity and were kept moving almost continuously over five divisions as components of freight trains. They traveled several times the daily car average of 50 miles per day, and did so under load.

These accelerated tests demonstrated that it is practicable to reduce the amount of waste per box to one half that customarily used, improve the lubrication, substantially eliminate waste-grabs and hot boxes, and cut the time required to pack a box in the yard.

It will be impossible to state precisely what time saving is possible until operations can be conducted on a commercial scale, but it is known that the man-minutes represented by preparation of the cartridge in the shop plus transportation to the point of application in the yard plus actual insertion in the box offers an attractive saving as compared with the man-minutes required by the present practice of packing a box with waste in the yard.

The packing of a box with preformed cartridges not only is quicker, but can be much more closely standardized than can any packing operation performed on loose waste with conventional packing irons, and this is true whether prior art waste retainers are or are not used.

The cartridge contemplated by the invention comprises a spring clip to which a waste roll is semi-permanently attached; so that in the yard the cartridges can be freely handled, and inserted and removed as units, but so that rolls may be interchanged in the clips without serious difficulty in case of emergency. The rolls may be encased in cellulose fabric covers or not, as preferred, but the use of covers is considered desirable to an extent justifying the extra expense.

The use of several cartridges makes it practicable to remove and insert them in assembled form without jacking the car. Three and even four were tried initially, and can be used, but the use of two permits easy insertion and has demonstrated advantages. The packing need not engage the journal throughout its length to assure oil distribution. Moderate clearance at the journal ends has proved to eliminate sources of trouble, without impairment of lubrication. The design of the cartridges is such that the ends of the waste rolls are remote from the brass, a circumstance which facilitates insertion and minimizes the possibility of waste grabs.

Avoidance of unreasonably tight packing, by standardization of cartridges gives better oil feeding, gives better maintained elasticity of the pack, reduces the ice tendency for glazing to occur, and besides economizing in the use of waste, permits carrying a larger oil charge. The cumulative effect of these improved characteristics leads to the confident expectation that general adoption of the invention in interchange service would greatly simplify both inspection and maintenance, and lead both to direct economies in these services, and increased pro ductive use of rolling stock.

To indicate the importance of the savings demonstrated to be possible, the life of the lubricating cartridges hereinafter described is longer than that of the bearing. On a five-division run, conventional packing is inspected five times and may require setting up from one to five times. Using cartridges according to the invention one inspection at the start of the run is all that is necessary, and this is merely to make sure that a satisfactory oil level exists in the box. The development of a truly eificient oil seal which can take the place of the dust-guard presently used, will probably make it possible to run boxes equipped with the invention several thousand miles without addition of oil. The practical efficiency of the oil seal will determine the necessary frequency of inspection.

Preferred embodiments of the invention which have demonstrated practical utility, as above set forth, are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a vertical axial section through a standard journal box with two lubricating cartridges in position, the cartridges and the journal being shown in elevation.

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the box shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing a box devoid of lugs, and illustrating a minor change in the cartridge clip to improve its retaining function in boxes of this character.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the clip.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a waste roll without fabric envelope.

Fig. 6 is a similar view of a roll with envelope.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a complete cartridge.

The precise form of the clip is a function of the internal configuration of the box. The one described was designed for simplicity. See Fig. 4. As used, the clips comprise a strip 11 of 18 gauge spring steel about 2 /2 inches Wide, preferably bent to arcuate form, but to a radius materially longer than that which they have when inserted in the box. Their initial curvature facilitates insertion into the box, but is otherwise devoid of functional significance. The form of the clips should be such that when in the box they assume a curvature conforming to the bottom of the box (see Figs. 2 and 3), and press at and near their ends against the sides of the box.

The ends 12 of the strip 11 may conveniently be square. At appropriate and equal distances from each end, hook-shaped prongs 13 are struck inward from the metal of the strip. Opposed hooked prongs 14 also integral with the strip are located at midlength of the strip. Larger numbers of side prongs have been used in some tests but demonstrated no advantage and the idea was discarded in favor of a single pair. Their complete omission is possible but not advantageous. A longitudinal slot 15 allows freer passage of oil and increases the flexibility of the clip in its mid-portion, which is desirable. As will be apparent upon consideration of Fig. 4, the slot 15 and the openings left by the prongs 13 gives the clip 11 the aspect of an arcuate openwork frame, which in effect it is.

Engaged by the four prongs 13 and 14 is the oil soaked cartridge. This may be merely a carefully formed roll of waste 16 (see Fig. 5) but preferably is such a roll encased in a bag or envelope 17 of cellulose fabric,

Such a cartridge, with or without an envelope, is generally designated by the numeral 18 in Fig. 7 which shows one cartridge complete with clip.

As a practical matter a bag of any suitable fabric filled with anysuitable absorbent material and saturated with oil can be used, in practicing the invention.

Figs. 1 and 2 show two such cartridges inserted in a conventional journal box. The box A has oil cellar B, bearing C with lining D as indicated, wedge E and slot F for a dust-guard. In this slot an oil seal is con ventionally indicated and identified by a legend. The lid is omitted but the lug to which a lid would be hinged appears at G. The journal is shown at H and has the usual fillet I and collar K, Boxes commonly have internal lugs L (see Fig. 2).

According to the preferred practice, two cartridges as shown in Fig. '7 are inserted, one at a time. The ends of the clip are sprung toward each other and the entire assembly is inserted, pressed under the collar, and pushed inward to position. It is not necessary that the oil charged units 18 be in contact with one another, as they are shown in Fig. 1, but it is desirable to space them from the neck fillet I and the fillet at the collar K. They enga e the lower side of the journal through about ninety degrees of arc. Longer arcs of contact are possible but ninety degrees is about right on the basis of tests so far made. Fig. 1 shows preferred locations which can easily be established in a matter of seconds and visually verified.

As clearly shown in Fig. 2 the ends 12 of the clip do not reach to the lugs L. Reliance is primarily on spring action to retain the clip. Spring steel is the preferred material but any material of adequate strength and having suitable physical properties could be used. Where there are no lugs L, as is illustrated in Fig. 3, it is practicable and desirable to use a somewhat longer clip so that its ends will extend higher along the sides of the box. A comparison of Figs. 2 and 3 will make this detail clear.

Use of the invention reduces the Weight of waste used per box to about 4 /2 pounds. Flcxure of the clip as an incident to insertion tends to bow the waste roll and improves its maintained elasticity. This is particularly true where a confining fabric envelope is used. Better elasticity reduces the need for close packing, and this in turn improves the oil feeding action. The use of assembled cartridges permits close control of assembly operations and favors standardization of yard packing operations to an extent not practicable with present commercial methods.

Changes of detail, some of which have been suggested, are obviously possible, and necessary limitation to the illustrated embodiments is not implied.

Applicant files with this application in the Patent Oflice, to define existing standard lubricating practice, and to indicate what is intended by the term standard railway car journal box a pamphlet published by the Association of American Railroads (Operations and Maintenance Department, Mechanical Division), entitled, Lubrication Manual, adopted 1949, revised 1951, effective January 1, 1952.

What is claimed is:

1. A self-sustaining clip for holding a lubricating pad against the journal of a standard railway journal box, said clip comprising an arcuate elastic metal frame of such curvature and length as to react expansibly at its ends against the sides of such a journal box when said frame is seated at mid length in the bottom of the box beneath the journal, said frame having at least two pairs of opposed hook shaped retainers projecting from its concave face, the points of the hooks of one pair projecting toward each other across the width of the frame, and the points of the hooks of another pair projecting toward each other longitudinally of the frame.

2. The combination of an elongated, flexible oilabsorbent pad assembled in lateral contact with a padretaining clip, the assembled clip and pad, when elastically bowed toward the pad being insertible into a standard railway journal box to positions in which the pad and clip extend transversely of the journal beneath the same, said clip comprising a strip of elastic metal less in width and greater in length than the pad, to afford at the ends of the clip and beyond the respective ends of the pad retaining portions capable of elastically engaging the walls of the journal box, and hook-like means at the inner ends of respective retaining portions projecting from the concave side of the bowed strip and engaging opposite ends of the pad to retain the pad in position on the clip and to impose longitudinal compression on the pad when the clip is bowed.

3. In combination with a standard railway car journal box including the journal and bearing, said journal box having substantially vertical sides and a semi-cylindrical bottom joining said sides, a pair of juxtaposed lubricating units located in said journal box, said units being free of connection with one another and being individually self-sustaining, each unit comprising an elastic metal strip extending circumferentially of the journal in spaced relation thereto across the bottom and up the sides of the journal box, said strip being elastically flexed and bearing resiliently adjacent its ends against the journal box sides, and a lubricating pad, supported by the strip and extending circumferentially of the journal in contact therewith, said strip being provided on its inner face with pad locating abutments engaging the ends of the pad and forced thereagainst as an incident to the flexure of the strip.

4. A pad-retaining clip capable of insertion in elastically bowed condition into a standard railway journal box to a position in which it extends transversely to the journal beneath the same and bears adjacent its ends against opposite side walls of the journal box, said clip comprising an elongated elastic metal strip capable of being elastically bowed sufliciently to decrease the distance between its ends and bring portions of the strip adjacent each end into substantial parallelism with each other, said strip being provided with pad-retaining integral hooks having pointed in-turned pad-confining ends opposed to each other in paired arrangement so as to embrace and retain an interposed pad, said hooks projecting a substantial distance inwardly from the concave face of the bowed strip and being spaced from each other in the direction of the length of the strip and each spaced from a corresponding end of the strip whereby the pad-engaging ends of the hooks approach each other in the direction of the length of the strip as an incident to increased bowing of the strip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,737,393 Sterling Nov. 26, 1929 2,213,001 Gundel Aug. 27, 1940 2,260,765 Bendle Oct. 28, 1941 2,534,045 Massy Dec. 12, 1950 2,559,041 Korn July 3, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 684,788 France July 1, 1930 

